How much would it cost to regrade a 1/2 acre yard?

The backyard of a house we are considering to buy has a slight slope in the 1/2 acre backyard. Ideally, we could have it leveled and a retaining wall around the perimeter. How much would it cost to regrade the yard?

Karen ~ Atlanta, Georgia

There are a couple of key factors here, exactly how much slope in the yard and do you have a place to put the dirt that you are going to move. Even a little bit of slope, for example 3% when cut flat over a square half acre (approx 20,000 square feet or roughly 142' x 142') will leave you with about a 4' retaining wall and about 1500 cubic yards of dirt to haul away (75 truck and trailers of dirt). If you can cut and fill with the dirt you generate than you will have roughly 2' of retaining wall above and 2' of wall below your new flat spot. If you have to haul the dirt, it is going to be very expensive, if you can cut and fill with the dirt you generate, it will be much less. It is tough for me to provide you with pricing since I am based out of California, however you are going to need a bulldozer and a compactor for a couple of days. I would expect to pay about $1100/day for two pieces of equipment with operators. Your retaining walls, depending on what you plan to do, can run anywhere from $10 to $150 per lineal foot for a 16" tall wall. If you find any large boulders the price will go way up as well. Before you do any digging check with your local building department for permit requirements and to see if any other agencies need to be notified. I hope this Helps!